Cooling device for a continuous-casting wheel

ABSTRACT

A cooling device in which spaces are left between two adjoining boxes surrounding the wheel so as to permit cleaning while the wheel is moving.

Unite Stfies me Petit 1 June 6, 1972 [54] COOLING DEVICE FOR A [56] References Cited CONUOUS-CASTHNG WHEEL UNITED STATES PATENTS l t R i [721 m Rsny France 3,279,000 10/1966 Cofer et al. ..l64/87 x [73] Assignee: Societe Nouvelle Spidem, Paris, France 3,536,126 l0/ 1970 Lenaeus et 164/278 [22] Filed: Dec. 30 1969 3,529,658 9/1970 Properz1 ..164/278 [21 Appl. No.: 889,023 Primary Examiner-J. Spencer Overholser Assistant Examiner-John E. Roethel Attorney-Sughrue, Rothwell, Mion, Zinn & Macpeak [30] Forelgn Appllcatlon Pnonty Data Dec. 30, 1968 France ..1s2114 [571 ABSTRACT A cooling device in which spaces are lefi between two adjoin- [52] U.S. Cl 164/278, 164/283 ing boxes Surrounding the wheel so as 0 permit l i while [51] Int. Cl ..B22d l l/06 the wheel is moving [58] Field of Search 164/87, 277, 278, 89, 283

8 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure COOLING DEVICE FOR A CONTINUOUS-CASTING WHEEL This invention relates to the invention set forth in application Ser. No. 859,720 filed Sept. 20, 1969, and assigned to the common assignee, and constitutes an improvement therein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION l. Field of the Invention This invention relates to a continuous casting wheel and more particularly to a cooling -.device for cooling the peripheral flange of a casting wheel.

2. Description of the Prior Art Devices for the continuous casting of metals which employ a mold having the shape of a wheel with a peripheral groove, wherein the wheel turns continuously around its axis; and

. which wheel has a groove which is closed off over a portion of its circumference by means of a tight metallic belt which turns at the same time as the wheel are old in the art. The molten metal in these priorart devices is inserted by casting at a particular point on the mold, a point located essentially in the place where a metal belt, during its movement, comes into contact with the casting wheel.

Penetration of the molten metal into the circularcrown portion is limited, on the one hand, by the mold, and on the other hand by the metal belt. The molten metal is progressively cooled until it reaches the solid state in a zone near the point where the metal belt ceases to be in contact with the mold. The product thus formed is then moved to machines which machine the product into its final shape.

In devices of the kind just described, the casting wheel can be cooled in various ways, especially with the help of sprinkling boxes which are arranged all around the flange of the casting wheel. These boxes receive cooling fluid from the outside and this fluid against the wheel in the form of jets.

In everyday use, however, we find that liquid metal losses occur, in certain cases, at the junctions between the casting groove and the metal belt that closes the groove. The liquid metal then appears in the form of burrs on both sides of the flange of the wheel. Finally, this metal completely fills the empty space between the wheel and the fixed portions of the device surrounding it. The presence ofthese burrs necessitates frequent scraping and often may even require dismantling of the machine. This is harmful to the proper operation of a process that is supposed to be a continuous one. This invention remedies the inconvenience associated with the presence of these burrs or defects.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION With the present invention one will be able to periodically, as required during operation, remove the metal burrs appearing at the joints with suitable tools capable of performing this scraping or cleaning operation. These tools must be inserted into the interior of the machine without disturbing its operation.

To accomplish this, according to the invention, a judicious distribution of wheel cooling boxes are placed around the wheel. According to the invention, these cooling boxes are not arranged in a side-by-side relationship in such a way that their contiguous edges are practically joined as is done in the prior art, but rather the cooling boxes are spaced apart from each other.

This new arrangement enables one to increase the number of spaces inside the machine at which the wheel is capable of being splashed in a ba h of cooling liquid.

Furthennore, this invention above all permits the introduction of certain scraping and cleaning tools mentioned earlier into the inside of the machine.

In order to be able to space the boxes suitably apart from each other, according to the invention, hollow junction blocks are used which serve to connect the various boxes together .around the casting wheel. The spaces reserved for the introduction of the scraping and cleaning tools will then be made between these blocks.

In addition, the device according to the invention offers an evacuation cross-section for the cooling fluid that is noticeably greater than for the cooling fluid in presently known devices.

It is therefore desirable to increase the upstream pressure of the cooling fluid or the flow rate of the cooling fluid through the sprinkler openings in order to maintain a certain fluid level around the flange of the wheel on a permanent basis to improve the cooling of the wheel by the splashing action of the fluid. 1 Other features and advantages of the invention will emerge in the following specification andin connection with the attached drawing. The specifications and the drawing disclose one preferred way of implementing this invention which is given here purely by way of illustration and without limitation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The only FIGURE shows a cross-section of the peripheral part of a castingwheel, surrounded by cooling boxes according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to the figure, numeral 2 is one of the lateral walls of the casting groove 10. A belt 3 closes groove 10. The flange of the wheel is supported by bosses ll; 12 and 14 and is attached by clips (not shown) used to keep the casting wheel in a good position on the boss. Sprinkling boxes 23, 24 have spaces 46, 48 extending laterally to the side of the wheel, and a space 47 from the periphery of the wheel to sprinkling box 25. The sprinkler boxes 23, 24, 25 have openings 26 through which the cooling fluid is projected upon the wheel.

Junction blocks 51 and 52 serve to connect the sprinkling boxes 23, 24 and 25 together while at the same time leaving a broad space between the blocks to'permit the easy introduction and manipulation of a cleaning tool, such as a scraper or tongs, in order to eliminate burrs of solidified metal that have formed on the circumference of the wheel.

A rod 53 extends across box 23 and is used to secure block 52 in position adjacent the box 23 by means of a knob 54. Block 52 and box 25 are fonned from a contiguous piece of material.

The cross-section of block 51 shows a duct 55 formed therein which connects boxes 24 and 25.

Numerals 56 and 57 indicate free spaces between the boxes 23, 24, 25 and between the blocks 51 and 52.

Another feature of the invention resides in the reduction of the inside diameter of the two systems of laterally spaced boxes 23, 24. The inside diameter is reduced by an amount sufficient to permit the sprinkler openings 26, situated on the circumference of the boxes 23, 24 presenting the minimum diameter, to pass a jet of liquid which more than sufficiently covers the inside circumference of the casting wheel. In order to reduce the weight of the flange of the wheel as much as possible, two sides 59 and 60, forming a chamfer, have been made on the inner edge of the flange, thus leaving only a narrow portion 58 between the two sides 59, 60.

The invention described above is perfectly suitable for the operations which it is designed to perform and in the vast majority of cases, enables one to de-burr the wheel without having to stop and dismantle the machine in order to clean the cooling boxes.

What is claimed is:

1. In a continuous casting assembly of the type employing a casting wheel whose rim includes a peripheral casting groove, a belt applied to the rim and extending across the groove to close the same and a cooling assembly of first boxes defining compartments of concentric form spanning respective sides of said rim radially inwards of the rim periphery to the radial extent of said groove and second boxes spanning the full periphery of said rim, with said boxes carrying perforations permitting cooling fluid to impinge upon said rim and means for directing pressurized cooling fluid to said boxes, the improvement comprising:

means for spacing said second boxes spanning the periphery of said rim, radially beyond the outer ends of said first boxes spanning the sides of said rim, to permit introduction of tools for scraping and cleaning the casting wheel between said boxes.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein said means for spacing said boxes comprise junction blocks permitting fluid communication between said boxes.

3. A device according to claim 2, wherein said junction blocks have inside channels and recesses by which communication between adjoining sprinkler boxes is permanently guaranteed.

4. A device according to claim 2, wherein said blocks and said boxes are secured together by members supported by said blocks.

5. A device according to claim 4, wherein said members are threaded rods which pass through said junction blocks and engage a threaded portion on said boxes.

6. A device according to claim 2, wherein said sprinkler openings frame said casting wheel and are located on the side of the axis of said wheel and are arranged in a circle whose diameter is approximately equal to the most central portion of the flange of said wheel.

7. A device according to claim 2, wherein said casting wheel has a flange whose center-most portion has two chamfers which leave between them only a thin portion of the inside peripheral surface of said flange.

8. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second boxes span only the width of said rim and the first boxes extend radially inwards of said rim periphery and are spaced laterally of said rim to permit tool penetration along the sides of said rim and across the periphery of the same. 

1. In a continuous casting assembly of the type employing a casting wheel whose rim includes a peripheral casting groove, a belt applied to the rim and extending across the Groove to close the same and a cooling assembly of first boxes defining compartments of concentric form spanning respective sides of said rim radially inwards of the rim periphery to the radial extent of said groove and second boxes spanning the full periphery of said rim, with said boxes carrying perforations permitting cooling fluid to impinge upon said rim and means for directing pressurized cooling fluid to said boxes, the improvement comprising: means for spacing said second boxes spanning the periphery of said rim, radially beyond the outer ends of said first boxes spanning the sides of said rim, to permit introduction of tools for scraping and cleaning the casting wheel between said boxes.
 2. A device according to claim 1 wherein said means for spacing said boxes comprise junction blocks permitting fluid communication between said boxes.
 3. A device according to claim 2, wherein said junction blocks have inside channels and recesses by which communication between adjoining sprinkler boxes is permanently guaranteed.
 4. A device according to claim 2, wherein said blocks and said boxes are secured together by members supported by said blocks.
 5. A device according to claim 4, wherein said members are threaded rods which pass through said junction blocks and engage a threaded portion on said boxes.
 6. A device according to claim 2, wherein said sprinkler openings frame said casting wheel and are located on the side of the axis of said wheel and are arranged in a circle whose diameter is approximately equal to the most central portion of the flange of said wheel.
 7. A device according to claim 2, wherein said casting wheel has a flange whose center-most portion has two chamfers which leave between them only a thin portion of the inside peripheral surface of said flange.
 8. The assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second boxes span only the width of said rim and the first boxes extend radially inwards of said rim periphery and are spaced laterally of said rim to permit tool penetration along the sides of said rim and across the periphery of the same. 